Psalm 102

Author Unknown, 1972; rev.

1. Heed my prayer, O LORD, be near me;
   O incline Thy ear to hear me.
   Let my cry come unto Thee;
   Do not hide Thy face from me.
   When I pray in grief and worry,
   LORD, to me Thy answer hurry.
   Listen to my supplication;
   Quickly come with consolation.
   
2. For my days, like smoke, are fleeting;
   Each goes by without repeating.
   Like a hearth my bones do burn,
   While I for Thy answer yearn.
   For my heart is so dejected
   That my bread I have neglected.
   Skin and bones, together cleaving,
   Are the outcome of my grieving.
   
3. While I lie awake in sorrow,
   I am like a lonely sparrow
   Perching on the housetop high.
   Like the pelican am I,
   And the owl; in desolation
   Have such birds their habitation.
   In my loneliness I languish,
   For I suffer constant anguish.
   
4. All day long my foes deride me;
   They with curses have defied me.
   I no longer eat my bread,
   But with ashes I am fed;
   With my drink my tears are blended,
   For Thy wrath has not yet ended.
   Thou didst in Thy anger take me
   And an outcast Thou didst make me.
   
5. Like an evening shadow, fleeting,
   Soon in night its span completing,
   So my days do quickly pass,
   For I wither as the grass.
   But, O LORD, Thou changest never,
   For Thou art enthroned forever.
   Thy great Name and revelation
   Last through every generation.
   
6. LORD, Thou wilt arise in pity
   On Thy house and holy city.
   It is time to show Thy face,
   The appointed time for grace.
   Thou wilt hear our supplication
   When we pray for restoration.
   Those who serve Thee, LORD, sincerely,
   Love the stones of Zion dearly.
   
7. All the nations shall revere Thee;
   All the kings of earth shall fear Thee,
   For Thou shalt Thy city build,
   To be with Thy glory filled.
   Thou shalt set Thy congregation
   Firm on Zion’s strong foundation.
   When we pray, LORD, Thou shalt hear us;
   When we suffer, Thou art near us.
   
8. God be praised with adoration
   By each passing generation.
   He looked down from heav’n on high
   To release those doomed to die;
   From His holy height He sees us,
   From captivity He frees us,
   That His people Him may worship,
   And all kingdoms praise His lordship.
   
9. God has tried me in His rigor,
   And He broke my strength and vigor.
   “O my God, my God,” I pray,
   “Do not yet take me away.
   Thou whose years endure forever,
   Do not yet my life-thread sever.
   LORD of every generation,
   Answer Thou my supplication.”
   
10. Thou didst lay the earth’s foundation,
    Mighty God of all creation.
    Thou didst frame the vast extent
    Of the lofty firmament.
    But they both shall fall and tumble;
    What may seem secure shall crumble.
    Like a garment one may cherish,
    So will they wear out and perish.
    
11. Like a cloak, Thy whole creation,
    From the skies to earth’s foundation,
    Thou dost change; it fades away,
    But Thou art the same for aye.
    LORD, the children of Thy servants,
    All the line of their descendants,
    Shall in safety dwell before Thee,
    For Thy steadfast love adore Thee.